MP forms new ‘Delimitation Commission’ to re-examine districts and divisions bounds

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday said that a new ‘Delimitation Commission’ has been formed by the state government to re-examine boundaries of the districts and divisions for the people’s convenience.

Talking to the media here, Yadav said he had begun working on the delimitation of the districts and the divisions from the day he assumed office in December last year.

The CM said the step is the need of the hour as there are anomalies and discrepancies in the state, which need to be rectified. “The number of districts in Madhya Pradesh has increased but there are many anomalies and discrepancies. Some people still have to cover long distances to reach the district or divisional headquarters. Therefore, rationalisation for the betterment of the people is the need of the hour,” Yadav said.Being the second-largest state geographically, the number of districts in Madhya Pradesh has increased in the last few years to 55.

Two new districts – Mauganj from Rewa and Pandhurna from Chhindwara – were created in the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government ahead of the Assembly elections held in November-December last year.

The new commission will be headed by a retired officer of the Additional Chief Secretary level, Manoj Shrivastava, the CM informed.

CM Yadav pointed out that districts covering large areas such as Sagar, Dhar, Ujjain and Indore have numerous issues.

“Rationalisation of such districts will take place through the delimitation process,” he added.

Notably, it is the second such step (in terms of redefining the area) to be taken by CM Yadav in the last eight months.

Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government had redefined the limits of police stations across the state. “We paid attention to this issue soon after forming the government earlier this year. Madhya Pradesh, which is geographically the second-largest state in India, has its own area but some difficulties have arisen in this with time. It’s right to rectify those issues,” CM Yadav said. The Delimitation Commission has been set up with an aim to connect places with the nearest district with the motive to provide better service to the public. Once again, the districts and divisions (in terms of tier geographical area) will be examined, the CM added.

The commission will work to resolve the discrepancies of the districts so that better administrative services are provided to the people, he said.

This decision will prove a milestone in terms of the state’s administrative services, he further said.